Pelicans looking to trade Austin Rivers

The New Orleans Pelicans have been very active in trade talks, and agreed to acquire big man Omer Asik from the Houston Rockets last night.

According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN, the Pelicans are now looking to trade guard Austin Rivers to relieve some cap space. Rivers has been a very inconsistent player through his first two seasons with the Pelicans, but he does have quite a bit of potential to become an above average bench piece.

As the tweet states, the Los Angeles Clippers could be an option if Doc Rivers decides that his son would be a good move. They don’t necessarily need another combo guard, but then again the Rivers connection could be all it takes. There are plenty of other teams that could use some back-court help, and it likely wouldn’t be too expensive to acquire Rivers either.

Rivers played in 69 regular season games last year with the Pelicans, starting in just four of those appearances. He averaged 7.7 points, 2.3 assists, and 1.9 rebounds per game, but did show some promise down the stretch of the regular season. His scoring ability has been questioned since he joined the NBA, and he needs to work hard this offseason on improving his shooting from the perimeter.

All of that being said, it will be very intriguing to see if Rivers is still on the Pelicans’ roster following tonight’s NBA Draft. There are plenty of teams looking to wheel and deal, and Rivers could find himself on the move tonight depending on what New Orleans is asking for him. Rivers will certainly be a piece that is mentioned in rumors tonight and in the next few weeks.